Re: Hyperborean

Quoting Jörg Rhiemeier <joerg_rhiemeier@...>:

> Hallo!
>
> Ray Brown wrote:
>
> > Isaac Penzev wrote:
> > > R A Brown wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>In modern times the adjective 'Hyperborean' has been applied to a group
> > >>of languages spoken in northeastern Siberia.
> > >
> > >
> > > Hmm. Aren't they more often called 'Paleosiberian' or 'Paleoasian'?
> >
> > I believe so - my source was Mario Pei "The World's Chief Languages",
> > 1949. But the Library of Congress apparently still uses the older term:
> >         PM Hyperborean, Indian, and artificial languages
> >
> > In the list quoted yesterday by Jefferson Wilson there is no mention of
> > 'Paleosiberian' or 'Paleoasian'
> >
> > A quick Google on 'hyperborean' will soon show many different latter-day
> > uses; I guess the terms 'Pal(a)eosiberian' and 'Pal(a)eoasian' have been
> > adopted to avoid confusion with some of these other uses.
>
> Yep.  Losts of crackpots using this term for all sorts of figments
> of their imagination, including some very unpalatable ones.
>
> And northeastern Siberia probably doesn't have the least to do
> with the Hyperborea of the ancients at all (where's the friendly
> temperate climate and all that?); IMHO, "Hyperborea" refers to
> pre-Celtic Britain.  Which also means that the term "Hyperborean"
> applies better to - Albic ;-)  But I will stick to the name "Albic":
> it is shorter, it is unambiguous, it is better.
The Swedish 17th C historian Olof Rudbeck thought it refered to Scandinavia, and
claimed the word was derived from Scandinavian _yverboren_ "highborn". He
should've taken more Greek classes, but you'll still occasionally hear
_yverboren_ as joking characterization of overly patriotic folks.

                                                     Andreas